Guardian Angel
by Weird
Summary: Harper gets into trouble with Rev
1. Chapter 1

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Censor: PG-13

Spoilers: Devil Takes the Hindmost and some Harper 2.0

Story: Harper and Rev story

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own these characters, they all belong to Tribune.

-------------------

**Chapter 1**

Ten year old Seamus crawled onto the straw mat that served as a bed. His mother walked over and pulled up the thin cover, tucking her child in as best she could. Despite her best efforts, Seamus still shivered under the cold night air. His mother sat down on the edge of the mat and lightly brushed a strand of stray hair off his forehead. Then she started to sing. It was a song he knew well, for she had sung it to him every night of his life. 

_Sleep my little angel sleep_

_In your dreams the galaxy is yours to keep_

_Close your eyes little Shay_

_Soon enough will come day_

_Until then sleep my little angel sleep _

_ _

_Dream my little child dream_

_Dream of blue skies with clouds of cream_

_Push aside your fears_

_Mother will always be here_

_to guard my child forever more _

Gloria Harper looked down at her only child as he slept. This was the only time she would be able to see him at peace. During the day, he was hiding the hunger pains or playing in the filthy streets with his cousins. But when he slept, it all went away. And he would look so innocent. 

Gloria knew, deep inside she knew, he wasn't supposed to be here. That he'd eventually leave for a destiny greater than this. And somehow, she thought, she was going to be there to watch it all.


	2. Chapter 2

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Censor: PG-13

Spoilers: Devil Takes the Hindmost and some Harper 2.0

Story: Harper and Rev story

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own these characters, they all belong to Tribune.

----------------------------

**Chapter 2**

Seamus Harper walked down the halls of the Andromeda Ascendant, a flexi in hand. Two days ago he had sent his profile to a dating service to see if he could find that "special someone". Finally he had gotten a reply. The only problem was the lovely lady spoke French. Why did all his one true loves speak in dead languages? 

Turing a corner, he strode purposely towards Rev Bem's quarters. He really didn't want to get the Rev involved in his love life. Hell, he didn't even know if the guy spoke French, but it was his only chance at getting this damn thing figured out. 

Harper wasn't much for knocking, and instead walked right into the Magog's quarters. 

"Hey Rev, what does two...ummmm...eat...ummm...bow mean? Does this girl wanna go for dinner or something? Rev?" Harper finally looked up and realized that no one was in the room. 

"Hey Rom-doll! Where's Rev?" 

Andromeda's holograph appeared in front of the engineer. 

"He's in Hypodronics meditating, and he's asked not be disturbed." 

"But Rom-doll, I need someone to translate this for me!" Harper said waving the flexi. 

"Let me look." She said leaning over his shoulder to read. 

"Rommie, I didn't know you wanted to get so close." Harper gave her a mischievous look. 

Rommie's smile said, don't go there, but she replied out loud, "Apparently this female would like to meet you at a diner. Coordinates are given." 

"Thanks Rommie. When did you learn French?" 

"You programmed it into my language files...remember?" He gave her a blank 

look. 

"It was during the Persied incident." 

"Really?" He looked dazed. Then shook his head. "Never mind." He took another look around Rev Bem's room. Very sparse. A little shrine set up in the middle of the room with a mat on the floor in front. A made up bed with a beaten up old book laying on it. It had a leather cover with the edges gold and an intricate pattern on the front. 

"Whoa! Well what do we have here?" Harper picked up the book and started leafing through. "Rommie this is real paper!" 

"Harper," Rommie warned, "I don't think Rev would like you going through his personal things. 

"Relax Rommie," he said, "it's just a bunch of stupid Wayist stuff." He stuck the book under his arm and started walking to the door. Rommie intercepted him. 

"If it's just a bunch of stupid Wayist stuff, then why are you taking it with you?" 

"Rommie, chill," he said walking through her holo form, "I was thinking about looking some of this up. Ever since he gave me that my pain is to the Divine stuff, I've been kinda curious." 

"Don't you think that you should ask Rev first?" Rommie still looked suspicious. 

"Rommie, rommie, rommie," he turned to face her, "this is Rev we're talking about. He'd probably be thrilled I was interested in this." 

With that he turned and walked to his quarters. Rommie threw her hands up and let out an exaggerated sigh. What was she going to do with this crew? 

--------------- 

After writing Delphine, the French girl, back to confirm the date, Harper plopped down on his bed and grabbed the book he had "borrowed" from Rev. Snickering, he opened it to the first page. Rommie was so easy to fool. What he had here was better than some Wayist boloney. He had swiped Rev's personal journal! 

"Time to see what dirt the Magog's got." Harper rubbed his hands together and then turned to the first page. 

_Many years ago, while I was under Brother Thaddeus Blake's guidance, he told me that I should write my thoughts down in a log or journal. He said it would help my soul speak. I ignored his advice then, believing that I knew the way to my own way to release, but lately my soul has become troubled, and nothing that I know of has helped calm it. So I will follow my teacher's advice and see if I can find myself among written words. _

_I suppose my troubles a few years after I broke free from my parent-host. About five, no six ships landed on our planet. They where occupied by the Nietzscheans. Those of my group that weren't killed, were taken by the Nietzscheans. I was one of those. Our fate was yet to be known. _

_How far we traveled, I didn't know at the time. I just know it was a long journey. We eventually landed on a desert planet. _

_We were led into a large building, and put in cages, where we soon found out why we had been taken. For days they did horrible experiments. Trying to find out something, possibly our weaknesses, even now I don't know. _

_During a test, they put me into a room with a human female. I was chained to the wall, the human was free, and able to get just out of my reach. At first I acted like any of my kind, pulling against the chain, trying fustily to get at the woman. Eventually, even I saw the impossibility of my situation, and sat back, waiting for the woman to make a wrong move. _

_After an hour of sitting there, I decided to try my luck once more. I lunged, and scared her. As she backed up, I noticed one something fall out of her clothing. _

_I walked over and picked the paper up. It was a photo of two young males. I looked at it with some curiosity. The female watched me, her eyes full of fear. _

_"What is this?" _

_The fear changed to surprise. Though some of my people have the intelligence it requires to speak, we rarely do such. I repeated the question. _

_"What is this?" This time I pointed to the picture, hoping she would understand. _

_The woman took a deep, shuddering breath before answering. _

_"That's a picture. It's my son and his friend." _

_This answer confused me. "Why do you keep a picture of your son?" _

_"It helps me remember him." _

_"You are...attached to your son?" At the time, I didn't understand the concept. We have no attachment to our parents. And the only thing our parents do is make sure we survive long enough to reproduce again. Love, caring...these words have no meaning to Magog. _

_"Yes," she said hesitantly, still wondering what it was I wanted. _

_I looked back to the picture, still confused. _

_"But this isn't really your son. It's just a copy of him. It hasn't the smell or taste of human..." _

_The woman suddenly grew angry. Her eyes burned fire. _

_"If you want my son you piece of..." She said raising her voice. _

_"I never said that," this female was beginning to anger me. "I may wish to eat your son, as I would any sentient being, but at the moment he is safe." _

_She cocked her head, looking at me curiously. Then something happened, there's no way to truly explain it, but she looked into my eyes. She looked straight into my eyes. As she did this, I felt like she was looking into my soul. She was human female, prey, garbage to some, but at that moment, she had absolute power over me. _

_It seemed like eternity, but lasted only a minute, and then the spell was broken. _

_"What the hell did you just do?" I growled. _

_She spoke with absolute certainty. _

_"You are different. You weren't meant to be like this...like your species." _

_I remember stepping back stunned. Then I realized...during the conversation the human had somehow gotten closer. Grinning, I pounced. As I landed on her, she let out a yelp. I raised my hand, already I was salivating with the promise of food. _

_"Wait!" She looked afraid. She looked like prey. "Please," she begged, "please let me go. My son, he's the world to me. And...and I'm the only thing he has left. You can't separate us, please!" _

_I would regret my next action for the rest of my life. Ignoring her pleas, I sunk my claws into her, and feasted._

Harper shut the book with a loud snap. 

"Whoa, just a little intense there," he said to no one in particular. The last entry had brought back a few of his own painful memories. 

He began to fan himself with the book, trying to get his emotions back under control. A slip of paper fell from between the pages. He picked it up. 

"Well, what do we have here?" he asked with a grin. "This must be the acclaimed photograph," he said while turning it over. 

The grin left his face. 

"Oh my god!" Shock came over him. 

"Daniel?!"


	3. Chapter 3

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Censor: PG-13

Spoilers: Devil Takes the Hindmost and some Harper 2.0

Story: Harper and Rev story

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own these characters, they all belong to Tribune.

----------------------------

**Chapter 3**

Harper gazed down at the picture in his hand. He couldn't believe it. The picture was of his best friend Daniel! They had been born on the exact same day, shared the same crib, or what could be called a crib on Earth, and were inseparable. That was, until the Nietzscheans came... 

"Stop it!" Harper put his hands on both sides of his head, trying to block out the images. He didn't need this again. Glancing over, he saw the journal on the floor. He must have dropped it in surprise. Looking at it, he realized what the journal actually meant. 

Rev had killed his best friend's mother. 

Harper remembered the day. The day when the Nietzscheans came. They had taken both Daniel and his mother. For days he had wondered...now he knew. 

The memories and sudden anger at when Rev had done were still clamoring in his brain. He looked at the journal again. A small part of his brain told him to leave it, that he probably wouldn't want to know. But curiosity won out over reason as he picked the book up and flipped back to the page he was at. 

_ _

_I eventually escaped from that place. Paralytic poison has been given to us for reasons. _

_Running across the area for awhile, I came upon another community of Magog. They accepted me, although they didn't have much food for themselves. I think they were going to make me their prey, but I won't know now will I? _

_I was only a part of their community for a short time. I remember the day Thaddeus Blake walked into a hoard of us. He spoke of truths and words I could barely comprehend. But it was beautiful. I wanted that life. After his speech, others who were not affected tried to attack Blake. I wasn't the only one who made them back down. _

_To become a Wayist, it is much harder than most give credit. The hunger is with you everyday, but eating defies everything your mentor has taught you. Often I found myself screeching to the wind for purchase. _

_One night, the wind answered back. _

_Harper shook his head. Crazy metaphors... _

_The hunger consumed me that night. I found myself running through the forests surrounding our retreat. A rabbit jumped into my path, and I chased it in the moonlight. Almost catching it, I smelled something nearby. Blood. _

_Following the scent, I found a human boy. He was thin, petite, and covered in his own blood. My mouth watered, but before I could eat, a strong wind came. It pushed the scent of blood away, and it picked up my medallion. As it died, the medallion fell back on my chest. The weight reminded me of what I was. Fighting every urge, I picked the young man up and carried him to our retreat. _

_Blake and the others took him away. They kept me from seeing him. They told me I would startle the man, but I knew they still didn't fully trust me. I was grateful. _

_Later I found the boy had been beaten by Nietzscheans. They had left him on the planet to die. He was lucky I had found him; he had been bleeding heavily and wouldn't have lasted two more minutes. _

_I don't know what compelled me to do so, but I had to see him. I needed too. When they didn't allow me, I used my natural stealth to get in. Thaddeus was waiting. _

_"Please forgive me..." His raised hand silenced me. He pointed to a door. I bowed thanks, and walked through. _

_The boy was sleeping peacefully. Silently, I walked over and looked down at his young face. Many minutes passed before I left the room. _

_"Did you find what you were looking for?" Blake always seemed to read minds. I turned to my teacher. The words were hard to find. _

_"I killed the boy's mother. It was a long time ago. On another planet. I was different then." _

_Blake watched me as I spoke. _

_"Are you trying to convince me?" I shook my head. _

_"No." He accepted my answer with a slow nod. _

_"We are going to try and open his eyes," Blake change the subject abruptly. "He has had a hard life. I believe the Divine sent him to us...to you for a reason. Maybe Wayism will help you both find peace with your pasts. Until then, I suggest you stay away. You might...startle him." _

_I nodded. I knew what I was. I was accepting the idea of being rejected by most. _

_The boy healed, but he wouldn't listen to our priests. Three days later, he ran away. _

_What the hell... _

_It wasn't finished. After the visit, dreams came. They were all the same. Always, there was a song...it was beautiful...it surrounded me. Then it was taken away. Darkness and fear surrounded me. But soon came a bright light and with it the music. The light would begin to take on shape. A hand, tiny compared to mine, would reach out to stroke my face. The music would surround me with warmth. And there were always three words spoken. Take care of. _

_I would wake before it was finished. And I would wonder. Take care of who? Was it me who was supposed to care or supposed to be cared for? _

_Answers would come soon enough._


	4. Chapter 4

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Censor: PG-13

Spoilers: Devil Takes the Hindmost and some Harper 2.0

Story: Harper and Rev story

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own these characters, they all belong to Tribune.

----------------------------

**Chapter 4**

_The dreams came, a few years passed, and I learned. I was able to control the creature inside. Then again, it wasn't exactly control. It was more like coming to an agreement with myself. _

_My path led me away from the retreat, taking me to all sorts of planets. _

_On one mission, I was sent to Sangen. Before the Fall, it had been a prosperous planet, one of the largest producers of ship parts. But once the Commonwealth was gone, business went down. The planet was overtaken by gangs and the black market. _

_I had been sent there to preach to benefits of Wayism. Those that didn't throw rotten food or other objects spat obscenities or ignored me completely. Sometimes fate was trying. _

_Walking down a dirty alley, I saw a young woman bending over a trash can. I called out to her, and she looked up. My heart stopped. _

_It was her. _

_An impossibility. She had been dead. I had felt the flesh beneath my paws, felt the blood run down my jaw, heard the rhythmic beating slow until it stopped. But I saw her straight in front of me. Looking back at me. Then running. _

_I couldn't help but follow. I had to get to her. To feel her with my own hands, know that she was here. She turned a corner. My robe caught on a brick and tore. Ignoring it, I persisted. But she was no longer there._

Harper blinked. Ghosts? Rev couldn't be serious. 

_The woman was gone. Instead, she had been replaced by a hideous scene. Five men were standing in a circle. One of them was holding someone that was tied up. As I watched, a gun was raised and pointed at the being's head. _

_I recognized the scent before I even saw that they were holding the son of the woman I had just chased. _

_I easily knocked the gun from the first burly man. The others ran on sight of me. I bent down to untie the younger man. He trembled under my touch. As soon as I loosened the last rope, he jumped out of my reach. _

_"Stay away from me you filthy monster!" He picked up a piece of wood and started swinging it. _

_"I will not harm you. I am here only to help." I tried to make myself look as least threatening as possible. For a Magog, that is very difficult. _

_"Just stay away from me you demon." He threw the wood. I ducked to keep from getting hit. When I looked again, he was gone. I began to wonder if he and his mother had been a figment of my own mind, asking for forgiveness and finding none. _

_ _

"Oh God no." The pages began to blur as Harper's eyes filled with tears. "No..." 

_The dreams were relentless now. The shape of the light became more defined, now recognizable as the woman I killed. _

_"What do you want with me?!" I woke up screaming one sleepless night. "Revenge?! Are you haunting me because I killed you?!" I sank to my knees. "I'm sorry. Do you hear that?! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have killed you. I regret it now. What more do you want from me?" I found myself sobbing. _

_A breeze blew through the window. And it repeated those three words I had heard every night for years... _

_Take care of. _

_"Take care of who?" Something landed on my lap. A piece of paper. I picked it up and turned it over. And I knew. _

_Using the picture, I searched relentlessly for the woman's son. It was hard when I didn't have a name. But the picture was enough. _

_"I am told your looking for a science officer." The blonde turned around. She jumped back when she saw me, but gathered herself quite well. _

_"What's it too you?" She looked me up and down. _

_"I have training in the field, and I'm looking for a job. I was told by a man of the name Carl Furlec that you were hiring." _

_"Ummm...yeah. Well, step into my office." She pointed to a wreck behind her. She must have noticed the look I gave the ship. _

_"She's a good ship." I gave her an amused smile._

_"Well, you would think I would know best on how looks can be deceiving." _

_She raised an eyebrow, then looked up as someone came off the ship. He was immediately recognizable. And I finally had a name to put with the face I knew so well... _

_"Well, Mr. Magog. I would like you to meet my engineer. This is..." _

Seamus Harper. 

_"Seamus Harper." _

_I bowed to young Seamus. He stood stone still, but his eyes watched every move I made. _

_"Hello Master Harper." When he didn't respond, the woman yelled at him. _

_"Harper! You should be more polite with our guests." _

_Harper merely sneered and walked back into the ship. _

_"You'll have to excuse him. From Earth you know." _

_I knew. But I just nodded an understanding. _

_"I'm Beka Valentine by the way." _

_"Reverend Behemial Far Traveler. Most call me Reverend Bem." _

_"Well, Reverand Bem. Let's see if your crew material or not." She gestured towards the ship entrance. _

_"Shall we?" _

Harper had to stop. He felt the book moving and realized faintly it was his own trembling fingers making it do such. He felt...he didn't know what he felt. Raw pain, anger, rage, confusion...they were all knotting in his stomach. He wanted to cry, but the tears that had been in his eyes before had dried up. Instead he felt his stomach turning and squeezing. He just made it to the bathroom. 

He collasped against a wall. He realized he still had the picture in his hand. He remembered the day he had found the camera in a trash heap. Even at six, he had been interested in fixing things. When he got the old piece of junk to work, he had nearly jumped with joy. The picture he held had been taken by Daniel's mother. Daniel was in it, but what Harper had forgotten, willingly or not, was that he was standing right next to his friend in the picture. 

He brushed his teeth, and walked back into the main room. 

"Are you ok Harper?" 

Harper looked up at Rev's worried face. The rest of the emotions were pushed aside. The only thing his body could take now was the rage that filled it. It was a feeling he knew, and one he wanted right now. 

Snarling, he attacked.


	5. Chapter 5

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Author: Weird_Peace aka Harper's

Censor: PG-13

Spoilers: Devil Takes the Hindmost and some Harper 2.0

Story: Harper and Rev story

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own these characters, they all belong to Tribune.

----------------------------

**Chapter 5**

Rev was taken by surprise as Harper flew straight at him.He was knocked onto the floor, Harper landing on top of him.Instinct saved him from the boy's fists.He blocked the attacks and was able to push Harper off him.He ran to the other side of the room as Harper jumped up and prepared for another attack.

"You bastard!"

"Harper?"Rev was being cautious, but his expression displayed confusion.

"You filthy Magog!You killed her!"Harper's eyes were gleaming with fire.He had the look of a man teetering on the edge of sanity.

Rev's tilted his head.Understanding suddenly washed over him as he looked behind Harper and saw the leather book laying open.When he spoke, his words were full of sympathy and regret.

"Harper, I'm sorry..."

"Don't you speak to me!You have no freakin' right!"

Rev gently reached for the boy, but Harper jerked his entire body back.

"Don't touch me," he growled dangerously.

Rev swallowed.He had to try.

"Harper...please...listen to me-"

"No!"Harper's hands were clenched by his sides."No!You killed her!You took the one person I had left on that god forsaken planet!My dad, my cousins, my aunts, uncles, friends, all dead.But she was there, my mom was always there!And you took that from me!How could you Rev?How the hell could you?!"He would have gone on, but it was beginning to get hard to breathe.He swallowed hard a few times.

Rev wanted to ease his friend's pain.But Harper wasn't listening.Rev realized that he was going about this the wrong way.

"She loves you very much."

Harper's mouth opened and closed a few times.But he eventually found his voice.

"What?"

"I would think," Rev carefully took a step towards Harper, "that for a mother to watch over her son even after death, that she would have had to love him very much."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Rev took another step.

"How far did you read?"

"Enough."Shock was replaced by the internal rage.

"Did you get to the alleyway?On Sangen."

"Yes.Why?"Suspicion.

"Then you know."Another step."You know, about how I saw the woman."

Harper shook his head.

"Ghosts aren't real.You were imagining things."

"No Harper."Closer still."I wasn't imagining anything.Think about it Harper.How did you got off earth when hundreds of others didn't?How was I able to find you after the Nietzscheans beat you?Before you bled to death?"So close.Rev could smell the emotions rolling off Harper as the boy tried to comprehend what he was being told.

"And the time on Sangen.Just before the man would have shot you.How do you explain that?How do you explain how I got the picture?"Now he could see the boy's eyes.See the conflict within.

"Or the dreams Harper?She was there.Asking me to take care of you..."One more step...

"You're assuming!You're imagining things.I don't know!But your wrong!"Harper began to notice how close Rev was.He backed up.But Rev persisted.

"I remember," the Wayist looked thoughtful, "in my dreams.There was a song.It was beautiful.I only heard the tune at first."Rev closed his eyes and began to hum the tune.He reopened them and looked at Harper.The boy had gone white.

"But shortly after joining Beka's crew, the lyrics began to come to me.Do you know the lyrics Master Harper?"

Rev spoke the song softly, but the music seemed to find it's way by itself...

_Sleep my little angel sleep_

_In your dreams the galaxy is yours to keep_

"Shut up." If looks could only kill.

_Close your eyes little Shay_

_Soon enough will come day_

_Until then sleep my little angel sleep_

"I told you to shut up!"Harper was screaming now.But Rev didn't seem to hear.

_Dream my little child dream_

_Dream of blue skies with clouds of cream_

"What part of shut up don't you get?!"Harper pushed Rev backwards.

_Push aside your fears_

_Mother will always be here_

Harper raised both fists.Rev caught his wrists easily.He looked down into the boy's eyes like Gloria had done to him so many years ago.He saw into the Harper's soul.And he finished.

_to guard my child forever more_

Harper started trembling.Rev began to wonder if he had gone to far.Was afraid he had gone past the man's limits.

Harper collapsed, sobbing.

Rev wrapped both his arms around Harper to keep him from falling.They stayed like that for a long time.Harper looked up.

"Five years ago, if you would have told me I would be hugging a Magog, I would have told you to go kiss a Nietzschean."

Rev chuckled and Harper pushed away.

"Look Rev," Harper began making hand gestures to emphasis the point, "I would like to say I forgave you, but I don't know what it is that's going on right now.Ya know?"

"I can't and don't expect any forgiveness from you.I haven't forgiven myself."

Harper nodded.He turned back before he left.

"Do you really think she's watching me Rev?"

"I have never seen a greater love for one's child."

"Thanks Rev."

---------------

She watched him as he slept.He had made her proud.He had become so much more than the rest of society had expected.

He tossed under the spell of nightmares.She brushed that piece of hair that never stayed out of his face.She kissed his forehead.He feel back into a peaceful rest.Sitting on the edge of his bed, she began to do the same thing she did every night of his life.

And the song was a sweet as ever.


End file.
